Beneath the Surface
by Azure Pembrooke
Summary: This story is about Aija, a vanirian princess who is to be sent off to marry Odin as a thank you gift from her father to Odin after the War of the Nine Realms. Aija protests the marriage, but must do as her father commands. As time passes she realizes that she is not about to marry Odin, but Loki, who has been disguising himself as Odin.
1. Chapter 1

Beneath the Surface

**Chapter One: Horrible News**

"You cannot be serious father!" Yelled Aija.

"But I am Aija, it is best for our people. We need to properly thank the Asgardians for their help in the War of the Nine Realms and this is the greatest gift I could give. It is final; I am sorry if you are upset, but there is no protesting this union" calmly replied Aija's father, Zander, king of the Vanirs.

"There are thousands of other valuables you could have sent! Do not tell me this is the best. You are only sending me off to marry that old decrepit fool because my presence in this palace is no longer wanted" howled Aija, face turning red in rage.

She walked closer to her father and slammed her hand on the table. "You could easily have sent him warriors or gold. He just lost his wife, I doubt he wants a new one so soon! It's not like he really needs anymore children, especially when he has a son men dream of. Why are you doing this to me father? Tell me why! WHY? Have I not done everything you have asked of me as a daughter?"

"ENOUGH!" Zander screamed as he stood up from the chair he was sitting in. "You have indeed done everything I have ever asked of you, and now you will do this last final task. As for why, it does not involve any disdain or abhorrence towards you as you may think. I have to put my people before all, even if it means losing a daughter. It does not matter if it was Thor or Odin who fought in our realm, Odin controls the power and his word is final. It is in our best wishes to be in a favorable light with the All-Father. This is our best chance of doing that. Now go to your room and prepare for the dinner tonight."

"But father…"

"I will hear no more from you Ajia. Now GO!"

Aija stormed off towards her room in a rage. How could her father do this to her? She was the youngest of all her sibling and yet she was the one who will soon be sent to marry a man her father's age. A man who is older than her father in fact! She was not one for power so becoming queen of Asgard was never on the top of her wish list. All she ever wanted was to be able to find her one true love and live happily far away from this retched palace. She was able to accomplish half of her dream from this arrangement, but she could say goodbye to her happy ever after. Maybe Odin would decline her father's offer at tonight's dinner. Aija prayed that Odin was still not over the loss of his wife during the attack by the Dark Elves. A thought suddenly struck her.

"_What if I was so rude to Odin that he could not stand the thought of having me as his wife…but then I would enrage father and probably be sent to marry an ogre_" thought Aija with a cringe. "_Damn it! If mother was still alive today she would never have allowed this to happen… I think._"

During labor, Aija's mother had passed away. Many had mourned the death of such a kind queen. Throughout the world, Sanna was revered for her compassion and thoughtfulness. She balanced Zander's fierce personality. They fit together like a lock and key, completing each other perfectly. Aija only knew her mother through the stories she was told by those who had known her mother. From what she heard, her mother was one of the gentlest being in all the realms. She can't help but feel slightly empty at the thought of her mother. Everyone around her knew Sanna and had their own stories about her. Aija longed to be able to hug her mother, talk to her about the problems she had, but most importantly have her own memories of her. Her favorite time when she was younger was when her father would come into her room and tell her bed time stories. She would always ask him to tell her stories of her mother and what she was like. Later in the night while she was fast asleep Aija would dream of her mother and what it would be like if she was still alive.

Aija used to be very close with her father, but as she grew older he became more and more distant. She did not understand it at first, but as the years went by, she understood what made him so distant. It especially became apparent when all the other children would tease her about her appearance. They always would pull her hair and call her "spotted freak" for her unusual freckles or "stumpy" because of her short stature. It was after such instances that made her realize that her father was ashamed of her because of how she looked. During her development stage in the womb she must have gotten a rare defect which caused her mother to have problems during labor and led to her eventual death. Her odd features are what must have come from the having this defect, for she should be as tall as her other siblings. She stands only 5'6 compared to her tall slender sister who is 5'11 and her behemoth twin brothers who stand at 6'3. She also oddly has a layer of freckles across her cheeks and nose, which are unheard of for her kind. She always wondered why she looked different from her siblings, but none of them would explain why. She had to come to these conclusions without the help of those close to her, causing a lonely, isolated feeling to rise within her. Her brothers seemed to be the only ones in her family that could look past her physical differences to see the person inside.

While deep in thought, Aija almost did not notice her sister Maisa, walking towards her. As they approached each other, they slowed their paces. Maisa stopped closely in front of Aija and looked down upon her younger sister with a look of exasperation. They had not gotten along for as long as Aija could remember. It always seemed as if she had always known that Aija was different even before anyone else had noticed and ostracized her for it. Aija tried to create a relationship between her older sister and herself, but Maisa always thwarted her attempts. She soon realized it was a lost cause and just tried to stand clear of her, otherwise there was always a snippy comment that would be made in order to belittle Aija.

"I see you had another one of your little talks with father. What have you done wrong this time little sister" sneered Maisa. "Did you throw another temper tantrum in front of one of the royal families again?"

"Oh ha quite nice of you to bring that up once again sister" Aija remarked dryly. "Glad to be able to amuse you my dear sister, but no it was a more serious matter."

"More serious than almost ruining father's reputation? What could ever concern you that would be of such importance?"

"Apparently I am to marry Odin" Aija smiled mockingly.

"WHAT?! Why on Earth would a disgraceful twit such as yourself marry the All-Father? Has father gone mad?"

"For once I may agree with you" one eyebrow lifted in annoyance. "Quite mad. I do not, however, appreciate your scornful words sister."

"Sister? SISTER! Ha barely" Maisa replied rolling her eyes. "You are not fit to be queen! If anyone deserves to be ruler of Asgard it should be me! Not you with your tainted blood."

"First of all, you are already married sister if you do not recall. Secondly, what in the gods name do you mean by tainted blood?" Aija was taken aback that her sister could say such things to her, even if their relationship was broken. "I am as much your sibling as Laus or Ludvik. I may not be the same height as you three and I may have odd freckles upon my face but we all come from the same parents" she whispered with clenched fists.

"Hmph if you say so. Father is a fool if he truly thinks marrying you to Odin will benefit our people. If anything he is condemning us to death."

Aija could only glare at her sister as she stomped past her towards their father's room. She had her fists clenched so tightly she could feel her skin tearing. She walked towards her room trying to hold back the tears welling up in her eyes.

"_She probably is storming off to father's room to complain how unfair it is that my possible future husband is more powerful than her current one. As if I wanted this! If I could give her this fate I would in a heartbeat. She is the one that yearns for power, not me. And what did she mean by tainted blood? Was she referring to my birth defects…"_

Before she could make sense of what just happened, she arrived to her room where her hand maid was waiting to help her dress for the dinner later tonight.

"I have laid out your best dresses my lady. Which one would you like to wear?"


	2. Chapter 2: The Dinner

**Chapter 2: The Dinner**

Loki started leading his progression up the great road towards Vanaheim's palace. He had been thoroughly enjoying every second of being Odin since he had first took on this illusion. He was finally able to claim his right to the throne now that his fake father lay hidden in his own dungeons. Loki had kidnapped Odin during the middle of the night after he, disguised as a warrior, told Odin that his forsaken son had died during the clash with the Dark Elves on Svartálfaheimr. Once he snuck Odin into a cell he put an illusion over him concealing his identity from anyone who looked upon him. The All-Father could rant and rave as much as he pleases about his predicament, but no one will be able to hear him, nor would they believe him if they could. Loki thought it was a fitting place to keep him since Odin had once banished him to the dungeons as well.

It was hard for Loki to play Odin for extensive periods of time, it caused him to feel a layer of filth accumulate as time passed. Loki held such an intensive disdain for the man he had once called father. To have to become him every day resulted in having the fun of being a king diminish as the sun began to set, but the next day he began to enjoy it with as much enthusiasm as the day before. Especially on days such as this, where people came out to praise him. It was a little sad, however, that they were not here to see him, but the old hag.

As Loki walked, he took in his surroundings. People from all parts of Vanaheim came to watch the All-Father on his way to a royal dinner; Zander had put it together in order to thank him for lending his son and his warriors to help in the war. He soaked in the attention he was receiving from the on-lookers.

"_Yes!"_ Loki thought to himself. "_Praise me underlings. Hahaha oh this is just splendid. This is how I should have been treated from the beginning. I could have had this sooner if Thor had not ruined my plans to take over Midgrad." _His composure almost wavered as he thought loathingly of his once brother. He had to control his rage before he faltered and risk someone noticing. Taking his mind off of his past failure, he focused now on the pathetic followers of Odin.

_"At least if I shouted, these people would be smart enough to kneel." _He could not help but chuckle at his own jest.

Loki started to become bored with the nobles from Vanaheim. They had nothing interesting to say and they were not worthy of his attention. He was almost about to gouge his eyes out from a rather insufferably dull conversation when Zander approached him.

"Odin! How hast thou been?" Zander said while clasping Loki's forearm with a strong grip.

"Weary. We have been rebuilding our palace since the attack and I have yet to have any peace and quiet. That is one of the reasons I was so quick to reply to your invitation Zander" Loki gave a hardy laugh and released his arm from the handshake. Though he had the image of Odin's body, he did not evade feeling the slight pain from Zander's firm grip. If he had been himself, he would have rub his forearm and given Zander a repulsed look.

"Well we are happy to have you in our halls once again All-Father. The feast is almost ready to be served, but while we are waiting, my sons would love to have a conversation with you about their part in the war."

Loki almost vomited right there and then. He did not know if he could stand hearing of the twin brothers "courageous" actions in the war and how they had fought beside Thor. He had thought he would be able to have some fun and talk to Zander's daughters, but somehow he was stuck with two imbeciles who were love struck over his "heroic son." He would be counting the seconds until the feast began so that he could get away from these empty-headed morons.

As Zander left Odin with Laus and Ludvik, he sought out his eldest daughter. He finally found her talking with her husband and the family of jewel makers. Their jewelry could not be surpassed by any other family in all of Vanaheim.

He would have chuckled to himself if he was not in such a rage. _"She would be talking to that particular family, probably hoping to get more elegant jewelry for her collection."_

As he approached the group, the conversation stopped mid-sentence while he pulled Maisa aside. He apologized for the interruption and turned quickly to his confused daughter.

"Father, is everything alright? Why do you look so upset?" concern lined her face as she asked. Then with sudden realization, she understood why her father was so enraged. With an exasperated tone, she asked "It is Aija is it not? She once again is skipping the conversation part of the meal."

Her father looked at her with frustration in his eyes. Sighing, he replied "Of course she is. You know your sister, forever avoiding large crowds of people. She is especially avoiding this particular group after our conversation earlier today."

"Father I still do not believe this is a well thought out plan. We are exhausted from her behavior and we are her family. She will ruin our image as the royal family. Please reconsider this decision."

With his face tensing up in anger, Zanger hissed "I will not have my children question my decisions. You are not the one who rules this world, I am. I may be your father, but you will also remember I am your king. Do not question my judgment in front of anyone ever again. Now go find your sister and bring her here before the food is brought out."

Maisa left hastily, a frown upon her face.

"_I do not understand why father is marrying her off to Odin instead of banishing her from Vanaheim. She does not deserve to be considered a princess, not with her poisonous heritage. Mother had betrayed father underneath his own nose. I do not know how it took him so long to realize it himself. Though I loved her dearly, I could never forgive her for betraying our father, our family. Now she leaves us with her repulsive bastard of a child."_

She stormed into Aija's room nearly knocking over the maid that was standing near the door. Without acknowledging the frightened woman, she glared at her sister.

"Can you even comprehend what time is?" she spat out annoyed. "Odin has already arrived and father has been waiting to present you to him before the feast begins."

"Why sister, I had no idea. I've been trying to figure out this whole 'time' concept, but it seems much too great a feat for my simple mind." Aija replied dryly, rolling her eyes at her sister. "I thought you would be pleased I was ruining my chance of Odin accepting me as his wife. As I recall I'm a 'disgraceful twit' who isn't 'fit to be queen'." She tried to give her the biggest smile she could manage before she rose from where she sat on her bed.

Maisa walked towards her with wrath in her eyes. Before Aija could move out of the way, she landed a firm slap to her sister's face. "How dare you! I was nice enough to come retrieve you from your room for father. If father says you are to marry Odin then that is what you will do. Do not question his decision for he is not just your father, but your king. If I do not see you in the banquet hall when the food is served I will come back here and drag you by your hair!" She turned around, smoothed out her dress and stomped off in the direction in which she first came.

Aija's handmaid, Freyna, rushed to her side to check if she was hurt. Luckily her face was only marked by a red handprint, there were no scratch marks from any of her rings.

"_Well at least I will not have to suffer through the enjoyable conversation of how I scratched up my face. Maybe I will go over to Maisa's room later tonight and give her my most sincere thank you" _she thought to herself with a scowl.

She dismissed Freyna after she had been nice enough to fix her hair and retrieve a cold cloth for her aching face without saying anything about Maisa's outburst. Aija had grown close to her handmaid after almost everyone in the palace ostracized her. Maisa was very talented at getting people to look down upon her younger sister. Freyna was one of the few people that still treated Aija as if she were not different from everyone else in Vanaheim. For this reason, Aija began to elude any occasion that had a copious amount of people attending. She was either treated as if she was a disgusting beast or she said something that shamed her family.

She straightened the rest of her clothing and stood up straight. She tried to look as dignified as she could after being so thoroughly rattled. She strode off towards the banquet hall to join her family.

Loki had been watching Zander during most of his conversation with the twins. He seemed to be in a rage about some matter and it thoroughly caught his attention. He watched his oldest daughter storm off after a conversation with her father and later returned in an even greater frenzy then when she left, though what she said to Zander seemed to sooth his mood. This made Loki even more curious about what could be causing such a fuss. It was then that he realized he had missed an important detail, probably because he was busy trying not to mutilate himself at the utter lack of entertainment by these dreary simpletons. Zander has four heirs, and yet there were only three who were present. He wondered why the youngest of the four had not graced us with her presence. Once she decided to join them, Loki thought he could amuse himself by chastising her for ignoring his attendance.

"_Oh my, here I thought I was not going to be able to have any fun at all tonight. I believe the look on her face as Odin reprimands her for not properly greeting him from the beginning will prove to be worth suffering through this hell."_

As he finished his thoughts, Zander beckoned his guest towards the banquet hall for the feast. As they were all getting settled into their seats, he saw the missing daughter finally join the congregation. He normally would pay her no attention, but since she had caused quite the commotion, he was slightly more interested in her. As she walked, he took in her features, which lacked the grace her sister had. She was much shorter than most Vanirians and Asgardians, which would make one think she was much younger then she was. She had coal black hair, which was wavy, but a part of it was braided back in order to control some of its volume. He decided he wanted to work from bottom to top so he looked down at her gown. It was a deep blue, which Loki would have preferred to be green. The collar was the only interesting part of her dress, it was a low-cut V-neck that showed off her clavicles and the top of her average sized bosoms. He actually found it rather enticing, unfortunately he was Odin and not himself so he could not take full advantage of this visit. He regrettably continued his appraisal of her features and finally reached her face. She had an oval shaped face that was longer than his liking. Her nose was long and roundish, and not quite sharp. She had high cheeks bones that seems flushed at the moment, maybe she had almost ran to get here on time. The oddest thing about her face was the freckles that laid across her cheeks and over her nose. Those were definitely not characteristics of her people. He finally looked at her eyes, which were the same color as her dress. He was almost startled by the look she was giving him as she walked past him to her seat, it was one of utter hatred.

"_Oh this should be a fun dinner indeed"_ he chuckled to himself.


	3. Chapter 3: The Proposal

**Chapter 3: The Proposal**

Loki watched as Aija took her seat a few spaces diagonally from him. She still wore a slight scowl upon her face, which was fascinating. It perplexed him on why she harbored such negative feelings toward Odin. Deep inside this pleased Loki; anyone who hated the All-Father was a friend to his.

"_She is absolutely enticing, all of the hatred spilling out of her is like the sweet aroma of a blossoming flower. Now to see why she so thoroughly hates Odin…" _Loki frowned. It seemed as if he could not read her thoughts as he could most. _"Well that is quite shocking. There must be something wrong with her." _he thought as a scowl set on his face.

It was at this point that Loki decided he would confront Aija on her tardiness. It was one thing to disrespect him when he was Odin, but to deny him? HIM? He was not one to be insulted! Slowly turning his frame towards Aija, face grimacing, Loki began to address her.

"So child, do you plan on explaining why you were late to welcoming me? I feel quite offended by your indifference to my presence." Those who were close enough to hear his words fell silent. Everyone watched Aija to hear what she would say to the All-Father, but before she could reply her sister replied in her place.

"I am so sorry for my sister's absence your…" Before Maisa could finish her sentence Loki yelled, "SILENCE! I did not address you. I will have my answer from the one I spoke to. Now girl, what have you to say?" Loki glared at Aija as he spoke.

"Your majesty, please forgive my insolence." she replied while returning his glare. "I was on my way to greet you when my former dress's seam came apart. I had to rush back to my room and prepare another dress in order to be presentable in front of the All-Father. I deeply regret not being able to welcome you in the correct fashion, please accept my dearest apologies." Once she had finished her sentence she gave Loki a deceitful smile, making those around her eyes go wide. The tension everyone was feeling could almost be seen in waves coming from Loki and Aija. All were silent, awaiting Loki's reply.

_"Hmph, she clearly has a death wish. Which I will happily grant her. I would have rather enjoyed sitting beside her, then I could enjoy the look Odin would have had if someone ever spoke to him in such a fashion, but alas she is speaking to my illusion. To make a scene or not to make a scene? Haha I believe I will!"_

Before Loki could react to her obvious lack of sincerity in her smile, Zander spoke to Loki. "Oh do not mind her my dear friend. She must be dizzy from all the running around she'd done today, what with her dress falling apart before such an important evening. I promise you she is much more pleasant then she appears at this point." As he spoke, Zander shot his daughter an intense glare.

Aija understood what position she had just gotten herself. She angered Odin, which could possibly be her new husband; and if not, she definitely enraged her father. She was standing over hot water and could easily fall in if she kept this up. She sighed and tried her best to improve her posture and her facial expression. She gave her father a look that explained her compliance with his request to adjust her attitude. In return her father communicated "you better" through the widening of his eyes and tilting his head slightly in her direction. She would allow her father to distract Odin from her presence for the rest of the dinner. Aija would rather enjoy not having to converse with the man she slowly gained more abhorrence for.

After the dinner Zander made a grand speech to everyone on how grateful he and his people were to Odin for loaning out his son and his warriors. Once the speech was over, he approached Loki and inquired a private chat with him. As they began walking towards one of Zander's secluded balconies, Aija noticed their departure. Before her sister could scold her on her behavior at tonight's dinner, she followed the two men at a distance. As they exited onto the balcony, she found a spot where she could listen to their conversation without being spotted.

"So Zander, why have you brought me out to this balcony? What business do you have for me?" Loki asked with one brow raised inquisitively, hands clasped together at the front of his stomach.

"Always straight to the point Odin" Zander laughed. Becoming more serious, he stated "I have a gift for you in gratitude for all your help."

Loki was now tremendously intrigued on what type of gift Zander had for him. Usually he would much rather flaunt giving Odin a gift in front of his followers, yet he was pulling Loki aside in order to give it to him. "Well do not delay, what gift do you plan on giving me? I hardly see the reason for being so secretive."

"I want to offer my daughter's hand in marriage." Zander faced Loki fully now, shoulders squared and face unwavering.

"My friend, you cannot be serious? I thought she already had a husband, he was in fact sitting beside her at the dinner tonight" confusion could be seen on Loki's face.

"I have more than one daughter, Odin."

"You mean to say you are offering the hand of your youngest daughter to me, the one who was late to welcome me today. You must be mad to think I would accept such a union." Loki felt insulted that Zander would even suggest such a ludicrous proposal. Though he thought her amusing at first, her insolence quickly extinguished any pleasant feelings he held for her.

Outside of the balcony, Aija almost shouted out in joy. Her heart felt much lighter than it had since Zander had informed her of his gift choice. If she was not hiding from the kings as they conversed, she would have felt compelled to hug Odin. She was about to leave her place of hiding to go back to her room to relax after such a stressful day, when her father began to speak again.

"Now Odin, please do not be so quick to reject my gift. She is not typically this repugnant, her attitude was strictly due to her exhaustion, I promise you. The next time you talk to her, she will be much better behaved and her normal self." Zander could tell by the expression on Odin's face that he was not believing his lie. A thought suddenly entered his mind and he immediately continued his sentence before Odin could reject him again. "I have another proposition for you Odin, why don't you stay here in my palace for another week or two and interact with Aija when she isn't being temperamental. I promise you her charm will grow on you, and if not, you can deny me once more and I will never offer this gift to you or your family ever again. What do you say my friend?" Zander was holding out his arms in a gesture of anticipation.

Loki took a second to think it over. He was quite saddened that he could not berate Aija during the dinner as he had wanted to, perhaps this was his chance to make her suffer for her earlier impertinence. He got the shivers at the thought of how delightful it would be to torture her for a full week. Her look of indifference would change to one of pure anguish once he was finished with her. He began to become so increasingly lost in his thoughts, thinking of all the different ways he could torment Aija, he almost forgot to answer Zander.

"Fine. I will accept your proposal, but if I decline the marriage at the end of my time here, you best fulfill your part. I will not hear one word of this preposterous offer after I have left?" Crossing his arms, he awaited for Zander's confirmation.

As Loki was answering Zander's new proposal, Aija was slumped on the floor. Her earlier joy had now vanished, dread filling its place. The next week would feel like an eternity to her, every day filled with misery. Instead of returning to her normal routine, she would have to entertain Odin, the man she just insulted at dinner. He is also a man who could have her executed if he so chose. She was hoping that her insolence would cause Odin to want nothing to do with her. She had not foreseen her father offering him such a proposal, nor had she thought Odin insane enough to accept. She felt as if she were frozen, her limbs seemed to weigh a thousand tons. Aija knew that the conversation was almost finished, and she would have to move quickly if she was to stay unnoticed, but she did not know whether or not she could move. She slowly pushed herself up against the wall, by the time she was fully standing, Aija heard the men start to move towards her. She was able to muster enough strength to dash to the nearest room and hid inside until they passed. When they were far enough away that she felt safe, she exited the room and slowly shuffled towards her bedroom, a blank look upon her face.

"_How am I to survive this week? Odin will tear me to pieces after my insolence this evening. Hopefully I can convince Odin that I was just in a foul mood that night. If he was any other man than the All-Father, I would continue to ignore him. HA, I think I would even tell him to his face my dislike of him, but it is not any other man. It is the most powerful man in the universe… What am I to do?" _Aija asked herself, grimacing. As she reached her room, she decided to turn around and head towards the palace garden. Aija knew that she could find some peace and quiet there, her father and sister never bothered her while she was amongst the hedges and flowers.

Aija was sitting on a stone bench within one of the gardens courtyards when she heard a branch snap. Before Aija could turn around in time, someone had picked her up and placed her on top of their shoulder. She started to struggle and scream at her attacker to set her down, but a familiar voice soon soothed her.

"Calm down sister, you are always so wound up." Ludvik laughed as he placed Aija back on the ground.

"Well who wouldn't be when a strange man tries to kidnap them?!" Aija lightly shoved her older brother, a wide grin appearing on her face. She turned to see that her other brother, Laus had joined them.

"How did you two find me? I thought you would be off flirting with Odin." Aija stuck her tongue out at them.

Laus, the older of the twins, chuckled. "It is not hard to find you when you always hide in the same place."

"You still have not changed since you were a child." Ludvik said while tousling her hair. Aija smacked his hand away, while trying to fix the part of her hair that he had tangled.

"Aija, we do have a serious question for you. Why did you insult the All-Father?" Crossing his arms, Laus awaited her response. As the older twin, he had taken on a more serious attitude. Laus was always the one who asked the important questions and expected an answer. Ludvik, on the other hand, was more of a prankster. He was more than happy to let his brother deal with the important matters, such as this.

Aija looked at the ground, not wanting to meet her brother's eyes. "Father has made me the All-Father's gift. If he accepts. I am to be his wife." She started to fidget, knowing her brothers were staring at her. She looked up to see what Laus and Ludvik's reaction were. Aija was not sure how they would respond because her brothers loved the All-Father because of his glory in battle.

She was startled by their reactions, they both had a look of surprise mixed with disgust tracing the lines of their faces. Laus took a step forward and put his hands on Aija's shoulders, "Do you wish for me to speak to father? I can try to convince him…"

Before he could continue Aija put her hand on her brother's arm and said, "No Laus, you know father better than that. His word is the last and there is no one that can change his mind. He wants this marriage to happen and so it will. Father will only become infuriated that you are questioning him, and he may lash out at you. Please, I rather you not." She looked at her brother, sadness shadowing her eyes. They were all quiet for some time.

From behind Laus, you could hear Ludvik slowly start to sing. He was singing an upbeat melody while he clapped his hands and stomped his feet in rhythm with the song. Slowly he began to sing louder, picking up the tempo. Laus smiled down at his sister and took her hands in his. He swung her around and around, until she was dizzy and could no longer stand. Once she regained her balance, she let out a loud laugh and started to sing along with her brother. Soon all three were dancing around the garden singing and dancing. One of the brothers would be twirling Aija, then she would be passed to the other. Aija almost looked like a child while she danced with her brothers because of how short she was compared to them. Most of the time, instead of bending down to dance with her, they would merely pick her up, suspending her feet in the air. No longer was there sadness on her face, only pure happiness. Her brothers always knew how to make her laugh when she was feeling particularly upset. After a long time, the merriment ended with the three siblings falling on the ground giggling. They all looked to the sky and returned to silence, but this one was a welcomed one.

Ludvik turned his head towards Aija, "You know that we will always be her for you sis. We will come visit you in Asgard as often as Odin will allow. He can't keep your big brothers away." He raised his head off the ground to kiss her on the forehead.

Laus lifted his head and did the same. "We will fight anyone who gets in the way of us visiting you. I promise you that."

Tears welled up in Aija's eyes. She didn't know how to answer them. She was thankful that she had two amazing brothers. If this was to be her life, she might be able to bear it if she got to see them often enough. Her dread was slowly fading away, calmness washed over her. She took her brothers' hands in hers. All Aija could reply was, "I love you both so much," before her voice choked up from the oncoming tears.

Unbeknownst to the three within the garden, Loki hid behind the other side of the hedge on a stone bench, a small smile on his face. He was exceedingly amused by how the siblings were interacting. He was now able to understand why the audacious girl acted like such at dinner, she had known of her father's proposal before Zander had told Loki. He was slightly less annoyed by the thought of Aija. He still planned to punish her for her impudence towards him, but he would be less harsh. He understood why she so loathed the sight of him, he too hated looking at Odin. Loki could not imagine having to possibly marry him, and his body shivered at the thought. For her actions towards Odin, he would forgive, but her actions toward him he would not. He would understand why Aija was able to deny him from her thoughts. She must have some defect in her mind, or someone powerful must be protecting her. Either way, he planned to find the reason for this problem. He still thought that the upcoming week would be full of amusement as he broke her into pieces.

**Hey guys,**

**Sorry this chapter took so long. I am a college student so I am trying to do all my school work and actual work and finish my chapters. I am trying to get one out every week or two, so please forgive me if one is a little late!**

**Also I am in the process of having my earlier chapters reviewed so I will be fixing those soon.**

**Hope you all enjoy!**


	4. Chapter 4: The Library

**Chapter 4: The Library**

Loki walked down the hall, wandering around aimlessly. He did not feel like retiring to his room quite yet. Many thoughts raced through his head about the days that were to come. Aija had continuously peaked his interest throughout the day and he anticipated having an eventful stay. Though he loved watching people kneel for him, with a look of sheer admiration in their eyes, he was especially amused by people who disliked Odin. While on Asgard, Loki would sometimes disguise himself and visit taverns that he knew would contain such people. The conversations Loki had with these citizens filled him with pure joy. Being able to criticize Odin with fellow conspirers was one of the few highlights of his week. As he left the taverns on such nights, one could see a shimmer in his eyes that was missing whenever he had to deal with Asgard's dull nobles. It was baffling to Loki why everyone loved Odin so exhaustively. Even at the thought, bile began to creep its way back up his throat.

Loki turned a corner in one of the many halls of the palace and noticed a faint glow from behind one of the doors further down the hallway. He was curious who else has not retired by this time of the night. Usually he had the corridors to himself, except for the soldiers standing guard. He walked towards the room to investigate who his fellow night stalker was. Once he reached the room, he slowly cracked the door open. He noticed the expansive rows of books and realized that he had reached the library. He glanced around from the slit in the doorway to see who was there, but he could not see them from the angle he was looking at. Loki slowly crept into the room to find who also shared his love of books. Once he entered the room fully, he found what he was searching for and let out a brash laugh. Aija had been standing on a chair, starting to climb the shelves to reach a book that was far out of her reach. The mere sight of it almost made Loki burst out in uncontrollable laughter. He managed to contain his amusement before he lost his composure.

"What in the world are you doing? You could fall and bring the whole thing tumbling down after you. You could have merely asked an adult to grab the book for you." Loki looked at her with a faint smile forming on his lips.

Aija was already glaring at him, even before he begun to speak. Her cheeks growing a deeper shade of pink as he spoke. As soon as he finished, she blurted out, "I was doing just fine by myself, thank you very much." Aija climbed down from her position and faced Loki, arms crossed against her chest. She looked at the All-Father from head to toe. A smile forming on her face, she replied more calmly, "Not to be rude All-Father, but you do not seem to be able to reach the top shelve without assistance either. I was going to ask for your help, since you are an adult, but I don't want you falling and getting hurt. I could never allow such a thing as long as you are a guest in this house."

Loki walked towards her, stopping as soon as he was barely an inch away. Leaning down so that his face was in hers, he replied, "You have yet to regain your manners." Aija's pupils widened in fear and stepped backwards, almost tripping over the chair. Looking annoyed, Loki nudged her aside and climbed onto the chair. He was extremely frustrated that he had to resort to such a thing. If he was in his original form, he could have easily reached the book, but as Odin, his hand only just touch the top shelf. He swore to himself internally, his fingertips had just brushed the bottom of the book, unable to grasp it unless he used the chair as a boost. Glaring back down at Aija, Loki asked, "Now which book were you so desperate to retrieve?"

Aija, cautious not to get too close to him, pointed to one of the many worn covers. "I want the one with the leather bounding and golden letters engraved into it. Yes the one you are pointing at." She stepped back so Loki could have room to step down from the chair.

As he regained his footing on solid ground, he opened the book and began reading its contents. Looking towards Aija, he raised an eyebrow. "Why do you want a book on Nidavellir? What interest do you have in the dwarves?"

Holding her hand out, she responded, "I enjoy reading about the cultures of other worlds, it is a pleasant way to escape my reality." She reached over and snatched the book out of Loki's hands. She looked up at him, head slightly tilted down, "Thank you for your help. And I apologize for my earlier remarks, I am sensitive about my height."

Aija walked over to one of the few chairs in the room and sat down. This was one of the few places she enjoyed being. Very few people bothered her while she was in the library, very few people visited the library actually. Aija and only a few other habitants of the palace enjoyed gaining the knowledge these books offered. She has read every book at least once and read others until the bindings required repairing.

Opening the book, she tried to ignore Loki's presence and began reading. This did not last long, however, because he walked over to the chair across from hers and also took a seat. She glanced up towards him to see his eyes staring at her. Quickly, she pretended to be captured by the book and not notice his lingering presence. Aija still felt his eyes peering at her, getting increasingly anxious by Loki's presence.

Loki noticed that as time passed, Aija became more and more fidgety. Her foot seemed to be tapping to a rhythm and she continuously bit her lip; he wondered if that was something she did when she was nervous. A thought quickly entered his head, he pictured biting her lower lip as she moaned. He quickly dismissed the thought, repulsed that he had imagined being intimate with such an audacious being. He was determined to get her to speak first, he could sit there for the rest of his stay if he so wished. Her discomfort with his company only made him enjoy their time together even more. What annoyed him, however, was that he could still not read her mind. This would have been the ideal time to do so. It was clear that she was not reading, she only turned the page every ten minutes. He knew there were many thoughts flying through Aija's head at the moment, and he wanted to know what they were. His frustration with this situation grew as he sat there trying to find a way into her head. If he was not for his illusion, he would have gotten up and thrown the book she held in her hands across the room. He would force her to tell him what was pushing him out of her brain, better yet who.

"_There must be someone keeping me out because I have tried everything I could think of to gain access. I hate having to forever have this illusion on. I want to show her my true form and have her grovel at my feet, begging me not to kill her. I am quite tired of the irritation I feel whenever this pathetic woman is around."_

Aija was frustrated at her lack of concentration. She put the book down hastily and returned Loki's glare. She was taken aback by the amount of hatred she saw within his eyes. Maybe she had angered Odin by trying to ignore his presence. It baffled Aija why he continued to sit across from her silently if it angered him so.

"WHAT?!" Aija blurted out accidently. Covering her mouth with her hands, she winced at the look Loki gave her. She knew that she had made a huge mistake. "I am sorry Odin, I did not mean to have such an outburst. I was just wondering why you were staring at me with such anger in your eyes. Was my reading in your presence bothering you? If so, I apologize for my impudence. I promise I will not make such a mistake again." She hoped that her apology would ease his rage, even though she only meant half of what she said.

Loki had been shocked out of his thoughts by her sudden outburst. He was amused by her reaction, however, and realized that he must have given her a menacing glare. He was going to stop her and inform her that he was not angry at her silence, but the entertainment of watching her fumble with an apology was too great.

"_It seems as though she is learning how to address me correctly. She should be on her knees as she apologizes, but she will learn in due time."_

"Calm yourself woman, there is no need to be making such a fuss. I was just in deep thought tis all. You can stop looking like I am about to strike you any moment now." Loki only replied so calmly because he knew that is how Odin would have responded. He would rather have had her continue in her groveling.

"If you do not mind me asking, but what were you thinking about? It just seemed to be such an unpleasant thought by the expression on your face." Aija had her head tilted to the side with an inquisitive look upon her face.

"HA! Like it is any concern of yours, child." Loki rolled his eyes.

Crossing her arms, Aija no longer felt frightened by Loki, her fear was replaced with anger. "I am sorry for caring, next time I will be wise enough to just continue ignoring you. I do not know why you agreed to my father's proposal, I am at least trying to be nice." Aija had returned Loki's eye roll.

At that, Loki got up from his seat. He put his hands on both of the arm rests attached to the chair Aija was sitting on. His face so close to hers that she could smell the hint of mint tea lingering on his breath. "I am the ALL-FATHER! I do not need to care about your petty life. My reasons are none of your concern! I will NOT have you speak to me in such ways. I could kill you right here, right now, and none will protest it. Remember who you are speaking to child, I will not stand your insolence." Taking her chin in his hands, he leaned in closer. "Do you understand?!"

Aija tried to nod her head. Tears were threatening to pour out of her eyes. Her heart was almost beating out of her chest, hands shaking from sheer fright. The rage burning in his eyes made her question whether or not she was going to be able to survive the rest of his stay.

"I will ask one more time! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" Loki was not going to release his grip until he was certain she understood her place.

"Yes!" Aija was barely able to get the word out. Loki's fingers on her jaw were so tight, she thought he was going to break it. As soon as she said those words, however, he released his grip.

Loki stepped back and looked at Aija. She was a sorry sight to look at, her whole body shaking. It was clear that she was trying not to cry. Internally Loki smiled, pleased with his work.

_"There. I don't think she will ever speak to me like that ever again. I am quite bored with her for the night. I think I will retire to my room."_

Loki turned his back to Aija and strode towards the door. Once he reached the exit, he turned to Aija, "Remember, I can easily have your head served to me on a platter." He closed the door silently, but to Aija, it seemed to make a thundering sound.

The room was silent once Loki left. A silence that caused Aija's hair to raise on its end. Once the door had closed, the tears that she had been holding back came streaming down her face. She was not sure she could make it back to her room because her body was shaking so severely.

After what seemed like an eternity, Aija stood. She tried to stand as straight as possible, trying to regain her composure. She walked towards her room, everything passing by excruciatingly slow. When she finally found her way back, she collapsed on her bed. She curled herself into a ball and held herself tightly.

She stayed in that position well into the next day's evening. Her maid Freyna, tried to rouse her for breakfast, but she would not move. When it came close to dinner time, Freyna went in search of either Ludvik or Laus. They were Aija's only hope to recovering from her comatose state.

**Sorry it has been so long for this chapter!**

**Finals are finally over and I have more time to focus on my writing.**

**Hope you all enjoy **


	5. Chapter 5: The Garden

**A/N Hey everyone. I just wanted to say thank you for staying with me so far. Seeing all my followers, favorites, and reviews just want me to continue writing. You guys are great! Hope you like this chapter! Enjoy.**

**Ch. 5: The Garden**

Freyna was running through the halls trying to locate one of Aija's brothers. Whenever Aija became this upset, it was almost impossible to break her out of her trance like state. For as long as she could remember, Freyna had only seen Laus return Aija back to her normal self. When she was younger, such instances would happen quite frequently. Her father had slowly turned a cold shoulder towards Aija and Maisa, seeing her chance, began to wreak havoc upon her sister's life. As she grew up, she was always the one others bullied, whether it was when she was a child or now as an adult. Her sister would find her while she played with her friends and push her down. Soon all the friends Aija thought were close to her had turned into her tormenters. Somehow Maisa had convinced them to sneer at Aija, trip her as she ran past. Soon everyone called her "short stalk" or freckled face," and all Aija could do was avoid being seen by them, or else something horrible would happen to her. At first Aija did not know how to handle the depression that arouse from the pain and hurt she felt every time someone shoved her or called her names. Feeling alone and rejected, Aija's mind would shut down in order to block the suffering.

As Freyna came to the end of the hall she had been searching, she saw Ludvik walking with a group of warriors. She walked quickly towards the group, trying not to seem distressed. As she approached the warriors she called out to Ludvik, "Pardon my interruption my lord, but may I have a word with you?"

Ludvik appeared confused, he had often talked with Freyna because she was his sister's maid, but it was seldom she came seeking him. He told his fellow warriors that he would meet them at the training yard once he was finished here. As they parted, he turned to Freyna, "What is the matter? Is Aija alright?"

Freyna tried to conceal her distress, but she could see that Ludvik knew something was not right. She pulled him to the side of the hall and with a low voice began to explain to Ludvik about his sister's state.

As he listened, concern grew on his face. Soon his eyebrows were pulled together and lines of stress showed on his forehead. "What happened to her? She has not reacted to anything in such a way for centuries. I thought she had overcome her bullying?"

"I had thought so to your highness, but last night she went on one of her usual late night explorations. You know how restless your sister can be at night. I am guessing something happened to her while she was wandering the halls and when she returned to her room fell into her comatose state. Is Laus available to come see her? He always was able to snap her out of it, astonishingly."

"I am afraid not. He is in council with our father about how to clean up the battlegrounds of the war where families had lost their homes. He will not be available for some hours, how long has Aija been in this state?"

"I found her early this morning. I thought she had just been sleeping, but as I was cleaning, I noticed that her eyes were wide open. I have tried everything to stir her, but she will not move. She will stay like that until your brother is finished…" Freyna began talking to herself as she walked away from Ludvik.

Feeling slightly hurt, he ran after Freyna. "Hey! Laus is not the only one who can fix this. Why did you not ask me to try to help Aija?"

Freyna turned around, a horrified look on her face. "I am so sorry your highness, I did not mean to be rude. I have just been so worried about Aija my manners must have escaped me. Will you please help me fix you sister?"

A look of understanding was on Ludvik's face. He had felt the same anxiety when he had first found Aija after she was bullied one too many times. He had ran to Laus for help, afraid there was nothing more that could be done to save his sister. He had watched Laus console Aija, slowly bringing the light back into her eyes. He was worried he would not be able to help her as Laus had, but he at least wanted the chance to try.

After an hour of attempting to help Aija, Ludvik threw his hands up in frustration. He could not understand how Laus was always able to get through to her. He had tried to mimic what he had seen his brother do, but to no avail. Ludvik started pacing around the room, trying to think of a way to break Aija's trance. Only after a few minutes went by, Ludvik yelled for Freyna to come to him. As she entered the room, Ludvik pointed to the bathroom and requested, "Freyna can you please find a tub and fill it with ice cold water?"

"Why my lord? You do not mean to use that as a way to awaken your sister do you?"

"Freyna, I am in no mood to argue, please just do as I say!"

Freyna ran to find tub that would be large enough to encompass Aija's grown body. Usually residents of the palace bathed in large bathhouses with large indentations in the floor full of steaming hot water, they did not have many large tubs that one could individually bath in.

After some time, there was a tub full of iced water in Aija's room. Ludvik walked over to his sister and tried once more with his plight, but to no avail. He grunted in aggravation and picked up his sister, swinging her towards the tub. He slowly lowered her until she was just hovering over the water, and then let go of his hold on her. It was a short drop before Aija's body was fully submerged. Quickly she screamed and scrambled out of the freezing bath, leaving puddles of water in her wake. She started to slam her fists against her brother's chest, yelling about how cruel he was for doing such a thing to her. All Ludvik could do was burst out laughing at his enraged sister. The sight of her standing in front of him, dripping wet like a puppy right after a bath, was too much for him to handle.

"Calm down sister, you brought this upon yourself. Do not blame me, it is not my fault that it had to come to this."

Freyna was draping a towel over Aija as she replied, "What? I was just sleeping! It isn't even that late out, right Freyna?"

Freyna gave her a concerned look, "It actually is late my lady. You have not moved since you have retired to your room last night, it is past dinner time."

"WHAT? Did I… No not again, there is no way it happened again…" Aija stumbled over to her bed, sitting down abruptly.

Ludvik sat beside his sister, putting an arm around her shoulder. "Ssshhhh. It is ok sis, I've got you know. You are safe from whatever was troubling you so severely. Come now, tell your big brother what is bothering you."

"It is about Odin, but that is all I will tell you. There is nothing you can do for me in this situation Ludvik. This is my problem and I must handle it myself."

"He made you go into one of your comas! I told you, sister, that I would protect you, no matter what status the perpetrator is."

"You also taught me how to fend for myself. I was merely caught off guard, next time I will be able to handle it. I promise, you do not have to worry about me." She gave Ludvik one of her more convincing smiles, trying to hide her own doubt.

"That a girl, but if you ever need me, you know I will always be here for you." He kissed Aija on her forehead and hugged her tightly.

Loki had been wandering the halls aimlessly before dinner, and he had been attempting to find Aija. He wanted to relish the sight of her face after last night's encounter. He knew that he had left her shaking - scared beyond her wits. His anticipation for the sight of fear in her eyes grew as time carried on. After dinner had passed, however, Loki became aggravated that the impudent girl had not shown her face.

_"After waiting all day, she still has not come out of hiding. My excitement has all but vanished. I thought she had learned her lesson last night about irritating me, but apparently not. I was looking forward to seeing her shiver at the sight of me." _Loki sighed internally. _"Without her amusement, this place can be rather dull. Zander only talks about how the proposal is going, and everyone else is not worthy of my presence."_

After wandering the halls again for some time, Loki decided that he would retire for a while within the library. He hoped that she would return there once the time was well into the night. His planned was postponed, however, as Maisa quickly walked towards him. Loki had almost thought to run the other way then have to talk such an annoying twit, but he knew Odin would never do such a thing. Instead, he prepared to gauge his eyes out as she talked to him.

"All-Father! I am so glad to run into you. I was hoping we could spend some time together talking. I know how dreary it can be after being with my sister for some time." Maisa gave Loki a seductive smile, hoping to convince him to come with her to wherever she had planned to go.

Loki rolled his eyes. "Child I have no time to idly converse with you. Now if you please, I have important business to attend to."

Loki turned away from her, attempting to end the conversation as quickly as possible, when he spotted Ajia. She had just come around the corner of the hall and had been struck frozen at the sight of him. A wicked grin adorned his face as he attempted to step towards her, but his smile soon wilted when she dashed out of sight down another hallway. Loki's face creased in irritation as he started to tread forward, but he didn't get far before Maisa grabbed his arm.

He turned swiftly, standing face-to-face with Maisa. "If you would please excuse me dear, I have business to attend to. Now, if you would be so kind as to let go of my arm." Loki tried to conceal his vehemence towards her interference.

Maisa glared at Loki with intense displeasure in her eyes. "She is not worth your attention, she is no better than a pile of filth! You are making the wrong choice All-Father, she will bring dishonor to your name, just as she has to ours. I know you cannot see the mistake you are making, but please listen to me when I say she is nothing but disgrace. Surely you are not such a fool to overlook her impudent nature?"

As she finished her sentence, Loki raised his hand and sharply brought it down upon Maisa's cheek. "Do NOT question my judgments. I will not be told my decisions are foolish by a jealous child!" Loki jerked his arm out of her hold and stormed after Aija, trying to control the anger that raged inside him.

Aija sat on one of the many benches within the hedge maze her mother had built centuries before she was born. It was one of her favorite parts of the expansive garden. She used to run through it for hours as a child, she knew all the twists and turns of the structure. Most people became easily lost within the mazes walls, which is why she loved its protection so dearly. None of her tormentors could find her when she entered the labyrinth. There was a path that was hidden well within the middle of the maze, she had found it while she was first learning to navigate its walls. At the end of this hidden path was a small circle of open space, with a fountain in its center. There were stunning flowers growing around the edges that Aija loved to smell. She felt safe within its confined walls, as if it was sheltering her from the world. Whenever she was within its walls, she could almost feel her mother there beside her.

As she sat in her hiding place, staring at the fountain, she heard the rustle of clothing. She quickly turned around to see Loki standing in the entrance. Her eyes grew wide, a mix of confusion and fear filled her mind.

Loki delighted in the fact that he had caught Aija off guard. He was impressed by her hiding place. If he had not used magic, he might have been stuck wandering this maze for quite some time before he found this alcove. He started to walk towards where she was sitting, but as he reached the bench, she scurried away from him.

With an inquisitive look upon her face, Aija asked, "All-Father, how did you manage to find this place so easily? Have you been through this maze before?"

"Well hello to you too my dear." Loki said dryly.

"I am sorry your majesty. I was just surprised is all." Aija gave him a half-hearted curtsy.

"That is a much better greeting. Now explain why you ran at the sight of me." Loki cocked his right eye brow as he asked the question.

Aija blushed, she was praying that maybe he had not seen her in the hallway, but that was a foolish prayer. She was still baffled at his ability to find her secret hiding spot, especially since the paths are poorly lit at night. For centuries, it was hers alone, only curious children could usually find it. When they did, she was regularly there and asked them not to tattle on her secret and in return they could come visit whenever they liked. Had one of these children told him of her spot? She could see that Loki was still awaiting an answer, however, and would have to ponder this problem later. "I was not prepared to speak to you again your grace. I am still not sure if I am. I have a horrible habit of speaking out of turn. I would not want you to feel obligated to fulfill the promise you made last night." She tried to control herself, steeling her features as to not show signs of weakness.

Loki noticed her attempt to look strong and could not help but chuckle. He could sense that she tensed at the sound of his laughter. He decided that she was more amusing to him when she wasn't being irritably mousy - he'd have to remedy this. He tried to approach her again, but she once more moved away.

"You know, that is quite infuriating." He motioned at the distance between them. "You do not have to avoid me. I will do my best to control my anger in the future when it pertains to you."

Aija snorted at that comment. "Oh that is very comforting." Swearing to herself, she began to apologize for her comment.

In the middle of the apology, Loki raised his hand. "I am getting rather tired of this."

Aija took a step back. "This is why I was avoiding you All-Father. I did not mean to upset you."

"Oh hush girl. I only meant I was tired of you babbling apologies all the time. I will forgive your annoyances as long as you hold your tongue when we are in public. I would not want you ruining my image."

Aija slowly walked towards him, eyebrows drawn together in confusion. "You mean to tell me that I can be my snarky self and you won't behead me? Even though we were alone last night and you threatened to have me kill because of it?"

"Normally I would not permit it, but you are quite boring when you are fearful of me. I am to be here for the rest of the week, I might as well try to enjoy myself. Having you run and hide every time you see me won't do."

"I see, well thank you for your forgiveness I guess… By the way, were you talking to my sister before I saw you in the hall? What did she want?"

"You two do not seem to get along very well, do you?"

"She said something about me didn't she?" Aija crossed her arms against her chest and rolled her eyes.

"Yes. She had said you were a pile of filth."

"Yup, that's Maisa for you. She is just the loveliest sister. I do adore her ever so dearly." Aija looked out into the distance, a thoughtful expression upon her face.

"I did not allow her to slander you further. I slapped her pretentious little face."

A look of pure shock blanketed Aija's face. She could not believe that someone had finally done what she has wanted to do for the longest of times, the fact that it was the All-Father was even more unbelievable. "You did not have to do that. I am used to it by now."

Loki took a stepped forward, closing the distance between them. "I did not do it for you dear, she also questioned my sanity. It is one thing if she is slandering your name, but to do the same to mine whilst in front of me was unacceptable." He had felt a slight irritation when Maisa had insulted Aija that he did not quite understand. He had no feelings for the girl except slight amusement. Loki decided that it must have arose from his overall dislike of the older sister.

Aija still smiled at his words. "No matter what the reasoning, thank you. I am forever grateful that you put that pompous prude in her place."

Loki could not help but laugh. It was different seeing a smile upon her face. It had brought a new beauty to it that he had not noticed before. He made a gesture of a grand bow, saying, "Well anything for you, my lady."

Aija gave him a playful shove, "Well All-Father, you are definitely not who I had thought you were." Taking one of his large hands into both of her delicate ones, Aija looked into his eyes, "Maybe this week will not be as bad as I had thought."

At that moment, Loki's illusion faltered slightly. His eyes flashed from the blue of Odin's eyes to his own bright green. He had caught himself before the whole façade came apart, hoping Aija had not noticed. But the look on her face, however, confirmed that she had.

Aija took a few steps back, confusion clouding her thoughts. "Your eyes… Wait… Who are you?!" Aija tried to run towards the safety of the palace halls, but before she even reached the exit of the alcove, Loki in his true form appeared before her.

"I'm sorry love, but I am afraid you are not going anywhere."

**Phewf! I didn't think that this chapter was going to be so long! I hoped you all enjoyed it.**

**I am getting closer to writing about the good stuff "wink wink". Please stayed tuned until the next chapter **


	6. Chapter 6: Vanishing Illusions

**A/N Sorry to leave you all hanging last chapter, but hey! I have to keep you guys on your toes somehow. **

**Thank you again for all the reviews I got for last chapter and thank you to those who personally messaged me! I love your feedback! I know I may take long to update some chapters, but it is only because I am trying to write the best possible story that I can. **

**Once again thank you all! Love you guys **

**Also sorry! I edit my friend's story and we post together and I accidently uploaded the wrong thing! Here is the real one.**

**Ch.6 Vanished Illusions**

"Now what am I going to do with you? I was looking forward to the rest of the week and you went and ruined it." Loki slowly stroked his chin with one hand, tapping one finger against his lips as he put together his last thought. "There are plenty of ways that I can kill you, and being the gentleman that I am, I will allow you to pick your favorite." He gave a menacing smile towards Aija that made her shrink backwards in fear.

Frantically trying to figure how to save her own life, Aija blurted out, "Loki, there is no reason to kill me! I promise I will not say a word to anyone about your true form! Please just rethink this whole situation." Clasping her hands together, Aija gave Loki a pleading look.

"HA HA HA!" Loki could't help but laugh at her pitiful form. "Oh my, you are quite pathetic my dear. Come come, now tell me what choice you choose. Do you wish for my blade to slice into your smooth skin, or do you wish for my graceful hands to slowly take away your last breath?"

As Loki slowly walked towards Aija, she matched his steps, trying to keep the distance between them from closing. His figure looking formidable in the glow of dusk. "You cannot just kill a princess in her own palace." She said. "There are people who will hear or see. Please Loki, be reasonable!"

In an instant, Loki's figure vanished from Aija's sight. A hand was suddenly on her neck, pulling her towards the length of his body. He lowered his head so that his lips brushed against her ears and whispered harshly, "Impudent fool, do you really think I can hide my form from Heimdall, and yet would be unable to kill you without others being alerted? Your ignorance of my talents hurts my pride, I am much more skilled then that, _dearest_."

Aija could feel the venom coming from that last word. She felt his other hand reach somewhere out of sight, and when it reappeared, there was a knife within its grip. He removed the hand holding her neck and replaced it with the dagger. "I was going to be nice and allow you to choose how you die, but your naivety has irritated me."

"Wait, I had misspoken before. I do not believe you cannot kill me without someone taking notice, but I do believe that many people will notice my death."

"And why would that matter to me foolish girl? They would never accuse me of being behind your demise." Loki applied more pressure to the knife on Aija's throat. The tip of the dagger drew a drop of blood, which fell onto her dress.

"It matters because many people in Vanaheim would come to the palace to mourn the loss of one of its princesses. Some of those who come to mourn may be royals from Asgard, seeing as how your mother was a part of my family tree. One of these noble born Asgardians is surely one you need to avoid, least he see through your illusion. It would be a shame if Thor had a reason to return from Earth. He is a close friend of my brother Laus, and would surely come to pay his respects. Seeing as how we have been spending more and more time together, you would be expected to stay and mourn with my family out of respect. I do not think you would wish to be here if Thor did, in fact, come."

Loki whirled Aija around so that she was facing him. "Those are merely assumptions child. There is no one to relay the unfortunate news to Thor, if he has no knowledge of it, he cannot come to give him condolences. I could also order Heimdall not to allow anyone come to your measly funeral. All I would have to do is say that you were a disgrace to the family and that you do not deserve attention." He shoved her against the wall of hedges, putting the knife to her throat once more. "It is amusing, however, seeing you struggle for your life. Unfortunately for you, I am becoming increasingly bored with your words."

Knowing that her time would soon run out, Aija was desperate. She wanted to try one last thing before Loki took her life with a flick of his blade. She blurted out, "Doesn't it get lonely?"

Loki cocked his head to one side, a look of surprise on his face. "Excuse me? I have a dagger to your throat and that is what you ask me."

"Well I was just thinking how lonely it must be, not being able to be yourself around anyone. Always having to pretend to be the man you despise."

"I am not a fool child, I know you are just trying to talk your way out of death. I am the God of Mischief, you cannot trick me!"

Despair began to creep into Aija's mind. Every attempt she made to save her life failed, but she could not give up. "There is no trick here, I only speak the truth. I am the only one besides yourself to know your true identity. I was to be your wife anyways, why not take me back to Asgard with you? No one there will believe my crazed words. I am, as you said, known as a disgrace to my family. I can be a form of amusement for you, if not anything else."

Loki arched a brow at the last part of her rambles, humor showing on his face. "Are you saying that I should take you back as my slave? You truly are pathetic." Leaning closer to Aija's face, he brought his free hand to her cheek and slowly caressed it with his knuckles. "Though I do believe I can find some enjoyment in such an arrangement." Loki could not help but grin at the way Aija's eyes dilated at his touch. He had almost missed it in the waning light, but he was still able to see the slight arousal she felt at his touch.

The smile upon his face sent chills down Aija's spine, but she tried her best to hide her dread. _"All I have to do is survive… survive… oh god. I should have just let him slit my throat. Now I am be his _slave_." _She hated being completely defenseless, but she would do whatever it took to stay alive. _"I must think only of leaving this garden alive. I can deal with what is to be after."_ Taking deep breaths, Aija tried to maintain some resemblance of control. "So what will it be? Kill me now or does my proposition please you?"

"It pleases me for the moment, you have talked your way out of death for the time being. I think I will quite enjoy having my way with you." Loki slowly pulled the knife away from Aija's throat and turned his back to her. Slowly he walked to the nearby bench and gracefully sat down, crossing one long leg over the other. "But I must remind you that as soon as I am bored again, I will dispose of you. You may leave now."

Aija glared at him, giving him a sarcastic curtsy. "Oh well you are most gracious for such an opportunity. I must go to my room and rest in order refresh my appearance for when you tell me father the wonderful news tomorrow."

As she turned to leave, Loki added, "Remember my sweet pet, do not tell anyone about our little secret."

Slightly turning her head, Aija replied, "Of course not dear." To herself, however, she thought, _"Laus will soon know about this _secret_ and hopefully save me from your repulsive grip."_

Loki only smiled as she left the garden, a slight spark of mischief in his eyes.

As soon as the garden was out of sight, Aija began running as fast as her dress allowed through the almost empty halls. She hoped that she could reach Laus's chambers before he retired for the night. She prayed he could help her find a way out of her appalling situation. As she neared his room, she sighed in relief. There was still the light glow of candles that could be seen from underneath his doors. She stood, frozen in the halls for only a few seconds, but to Aija they felt like hours. She had to control her breathing before she saw her brother, or else he may alert someone before all of her story could be told. If such a thing happened, Loki was sure to kill her. Once she was able to calm herself, Aija knocked on the door.

There was the sound of a low groan from within the bedroom, then a shuffling of feet. As Laus opened the door he whispered harshly, "I thought I had told everyone that I was not to be disturbed 'til morning!" It was only after he finished his sentence that he actually looked down to see who he was talking to. Once he had noticed it was Aija, an apologetic look donned his face. "Sorry sis, I have had a long day of arguing, what can I do for you?" He soon became concerned when Aija hesitated to answer him.

"Can we please talk in private? I really need your help with something." As she spoke, she lightly played with one of the sleeves on her dress.

"Yes, yes of course Aija. What is bothering you so much that you have to knock on my door at such an hour? I was just about to retire, but please come in and tell me what is on your mind." He stepped back, raising his arm to gesture for Aija to enter the room.

Aija walked to one of the few chairs placed in the room near a small, round table. Laus sat in the chair next to the one in which she was seated. He leaned closer to Aija and placed a caring hand on her trembling ones. "Please Aija, tell me what is troubling you so. Is it Odin? Ludvik had talked to me about earlier, I can make father end this silly little proposition of his."

"Laus, I do not know how to tell you this, but you must promise not to interrupt me. I have to get it all out before you do anything."

"Aija just tell me what is the problem."

"Just please promise Laus!"

"Alright I promise, now please spit it out."

Talking in a deep breath, Aija prepared to tell Laus what had transpired in the garden. "After my last interaction with Odin, I tried to avoid him by getting him lost in the garden. After a bit of interaction with him, it was then that I realized that…" Aija became confused by her inability to speak. She thought that her voice must be caught in her throat, coughing to clear it, she tried to continue. "I realized that…" Panic swept over Aija as she realized that her voice was not stuck, but stopped. Whenever she tried to explain how she learned of Loki's identity, she lost her voice.

After a few minutes passed, Laus could no longer keep his silence. "Aija what are you trying to say? What had you realized?"

A look of despair crossed Aija's face. Her form slowly slumped into the chair she was sitting on, she would have surely fallen to the ground had it not been holding her up. "It is useless brother, there is no escape for me."

Laus sat up straight, in shock at his sister's words. He left his place on the other chair to come kneel beside Aija. He cupped her face in his hands and forced her to look at him. "What is hopeless Aija? Do you mean to say that there is no way to escape your marriage to Odin? If you are so upset by it, I will force father to end it, there is no reason to be so distraught by it. Please sister, talk to me."

Giving Laus a wavering smile, Aija placed her hands on his as they held up her face. "No brother, even as I spoke I realized how futile it is to struggle against this union. If…" Remembering that she could not speak of _him_, corrected herself. "If the All-Father wants me as his bride, I will have to make peace with that." A lone tear dripped onto their conjoined hands. Laus wiped away the tears that followed.

"Aija, I promise you that I can stop this marriage if it is something you truly cannot live with. If it is making you this upset, father will understand that you can no longer fulfill your part in this."

Standing up, Aija barked out a bitter laugh. "Father could not care less on how I feel about the matter." She looked up at her brother placing a gentle hand on his confused face. "I am grateful to have such a wonderful brother as you Laus. I must face the reality that this will be my life now. Please do not go to father about this, it will only make him furious."

"I will not just stand by as my sister is in agony! You clearly are pained by the mere thought of this anointment, I will not stand idly by as you are shipped off to live a life of despair."

"There is no hope for me brother! You know as well as I do that I have been nothing but a disgrace to this family in father's eyes. At one point or another I knew I would be shipped off to be some man's wife. Please promise me that you will leave this alone! I will just have to learn to grin and bear it."

"No Aija I…"

"Promise me!" Aija gazed into her brother's eyes with a pleading look. "Please just promise me you will not interfere. I was wrong to come here tonight."

"Fine. If you wish for me not to interfere, then I will not." He once again took her face into his hands. "But if you ever, EVER need me, you must come ask for my aid. I will make my promise if you will give me that promise in return."

Trying to hold back more tears, Aija replied, "Of course Laus. I promise." For a few moments, the siblings only looked at each other. Both struggling with the feeling that surfaced from their argument. Laus had to fight for control over his need to burst into their father's room and demand that the proposal was abolished. Aija had to fight the tears that were threatening to overcome her. She desperately wanted to sink to the floor and wallow in misery.

After Aija thought she could no longer take the silence she hugged her brother. Laus returned the embrace and lifted her off the floor in a bear hug. "I will not let anything bad happen to you Aija. Neither will Ludvik, you need not worry about you safety."

"I know, Laus, I know. Thank you." Wiping away the last of her tears she went to leave. As she was about to close the door behind her, she turned around to face Laus. "You truly are a great brother, which is why I love you so."

"I love you too sis."

She smiled at her brother then closed the door behind her. Tears streamed down her face as she walked down the hall. She did not know what the future would hold and wanted to tell her brother at least once before she left that she loved him. She would have to see Ludvik soon to tell him the same.

She continued to walk down the hall, trying to calm herself when she heard someone chuckle. She whirled around to come face to face with Loki. "That was quite the little scene you had back there. Tsk tsk, trying to tattle on me, even when I warned you not to. Oh darling, what am I to do with you."

Anger welled up inside of Aija. "You almost killed me today and put some sort of magic on me. Do you not think I deserve some time to regain my composure?"

"And what fun would that be?" Pushing Aija against the wall, pinning her with the weight of his body. He put his lips to her ear and whispered, "I had told you NOT to tell anyone of our little secret, and yet here we are. Good thing I foresaw this predicament or else I would have had to kill your darling brother as well. I think you take for granted my generosity. Being the godly being that I am, I allowed you to keep you petty life." Taking her face in his hands so that she was staring into his eyes, which were illuminated by the nearby torchlight, he continued, "I did not have to let you live. Betray me once more and you will wish you could feel the sweet escape of death." Staring into Aija's eyes, Loki looked for confirmation. Once he saw that she understood him, he said, "Very well, good night my lady."

When Aija next blinked, Loki was no longer in front of her. She was alone in the hall, pressed against the wall. She let her body slide to floor, where her small figure began to shake uncontrollably. Taking in deep breathes, Aija tried to control her limbs. When she gained control once more, what had seemed an impossible task, Aija stood and walked slowly back to her room. She would not sleep tonight, for she could only see his face and feel his hands around her neck whenever she closed her eyes.


End file.
